Thanks to support from the community, the Marina Martinique Homeowners’ Association (HOA) was able to host their second Crú du Marina wine tasting event, and raised R50 000 for two local charities, JBay Recycling Project and the JBay Animal Rescue Sanctuary.
Project manager, Roel Bester, said that the wine tasting event was a huge success, and the attendees enjoyed being transported by boat to taste wine on offer from 15 wine farms.
“It was a beautiful day on the waterways, and everyone had fun with family and friends. Some people were also celebrating special occasions,” said Bester.
He said that as planned, they were able to sell 350 tickets, but continued to receive requests for tickets even after they were sold out.
Bester said that at the event they had 20 wine reps, 40 officials, and three food trucks, which all contributed to ensuring that the attendees were entertained and kept safe.
With the success of the wine event, he said they were able to raise funds for both charities that are in dire need of support from local businesses and corporates.
With assistance from Bester’s team members, Merecia Thomas, Kathleen Aucamp and Melanie Greyling, they were able to increase the funds raised by more than R10 000, compared to last year’s R42 000.
“We plan to host the Crú du Marina as an annual event. Our ticketholders have provided us with such overwhelming requests to host the event again,” said Bester.
Sanctuary manager, Cindy Muller, said that sterilisations are the most important aspect of what they do and the donation they received from Crú du Marina will help them to sterilise more dogs and cats, to avoid unwanted puppies and kittens.
“The donation means the absolute world to us. We feel so blessed by this,” said Muller.
Chairperson of JBay Recycling Project, Kerry Smith, said that as a non-profit organisation they rely on donations from the public, and are therefore privileged to be the recipients of the funds raised by the Crú du Marina.
She said that their very generous donation of R25 000 will go directly to benefitting the children who attend the weekly recycling projects, which amounts to 5 000 visits per year.
She further said that the donation will both empower children and help to clean the environment.
“We would like to take this opportunity to express our sincere gratitude to the HOA for organising the Crú du Marina,” said Smith.
